Why is American sport so popular?

The main difference between the American industry and the sports of most other countries of the world is the choice of favorite team games. Football, which is on the absolute first place in terms of excitement in Europe, Africa and South America, in the United States recedes into the background and is called socker. American fans go crazy about American football, baseball, basketball and hockey — this is reflected in the cost of advertising contracts, and in the attention from the press and ordinary people.

HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 16: The line of scrimmage is seen between the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium on December 16, 2012 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

The North American leagues for trampoline, baseball, basketball, and hockey (NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL, respectively) are the most popular in the world and exemplary in terms of organization, sports design, and commercial content.

Socker nevertheless strengthens its position: in recent years, the MLS (American soccer League) in terms of average match attendance, it started to overtake the NBA and NHL. Perhaps this was due to the good results of the US national football team in international competitions over the past 20 years. Another factor is the transfer of world football stars to American clubs. Over the past 10 years, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Kaka, David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have played in American stadiums. It is also worth noting that European grandees have started to work more actively in the American market, coming to summer commercial matches and expanding the fan base.

Intrigue and equality of opportunity among teams are supported by the salary cap and the draft system, according to which unsuccessful teams have priority when signing free agents. In this way, American leagues try to contain the gap between the strongest and weakest teams. This year, for example, the St. Louis Blues of Missouri won their first Stanley Cup, and the TORONTO raptors of Canada also won the NBA playoff final for the first time in their history.